


miles to go before we sleep

by orphan_account



Category: The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: (kinda), Fellowship of the Ring, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Parent Aragorn, Snow, aragorn and Frodo love each other but its not sexual just pure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-29 17:09:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12635442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A reimagining of the Caradhras Pass scene in The Fellowship of the Ring.





	miles to go before we sleep

The Fellowship had been climbing the side of the mountain for what seemed like weeks, although Frodo knew somewhere in the back of his mind it had only been a few days. They scraped along, hugging the side of the mountain with thick snowflakes pelting them from every angle. Gandalf was at the head of the group, plowing through the snow and creating a path the best he could. He whipped around to visualize his friends behind him.

“Keep up! Don’t lose sight of me!”

Frodo felt woozy, his head spinning from the cold and from exhaustion. He could hardly remember why he was even walking. Legolas barely noticed as Frodo fell behind. Stumbling, Frodo's field of vision began to go black at the corners. He felt as though the Ring around his neck was weighing him down. Oh, how he longed to recall the feeling of warmth. Suddenly, as if by some kind of magic, Frodo did feel warm. 

He smiled for the first time since the snow started to fall before he succumbed to unconsciousness.

Aragorn was a split second too late. He had been trudging along in the rear, attempting to keep an eye on the little ones in the blinding snow. Frodo was a few feet in front of him, behind Sam. He had noticed Frodo stumble once or twice, but that was not too unusual for a hobbit in such rough terrain. 

As the hobbit slipped off the side of the mountain, tumbling into a snow drift some distance below, his heart plummeted. Aragorn felt as if he had been stabbed in the chest, fear paralysing him before he ran to the edge to try to make out where Frodo had fallen.

“Frodo!” Sam cried as he tried to run towards the edge as well before the great arm of Gandalf stopped him.

Gandalf hesitated only a moment, the shock of it all bright in his eyes, before swallowing and shouting; “Legolas - Aragorn- Go! Find him! I will stay with the others.” He clasped a hand to Sam’s shoulder, trying in vain to console him. 

Aragorn was first to begin climbing down to where Frodo had disappeared, but the elf quickly overtook him. Legolas, full of adrenaline and his usual grace, climbed down the cliff face as if it were easy. He was able to dash nimbly across the snow, whereas Aragorn trudged through it. Finally both man and elf reached the ledge where Frodo had fallen. 

Aragorn bent nearer to the top of the snow, running his gloved hand along the surface. The snow was falling so hard and fast that any disruptions of the snow were nearly immediately covered. After a few moments of searching, Aragorn sensed that Frodo was quite near.

“Legolas… he is here. We must dig deep. A fall from that height… he will have sunk far into the snow.” Aragorn said, out of breath. They began digging, ignoring the biting cold that was making their hands numb. 

Legolas looked up at his dear friend Aragorn, whose face was deeply flushed. His beard was crusted with ice and there were frozen tears on his cheeks. He knew Aragorn cared deeply for Frodo. His attachment to the hobbit certainly went beyond their mission, beyond the Ring. He did not know, however, how deep his affections lay, whether it be simply a deep kinship or more. Legolas also perceived that Aragorn would be torn apart if, when they found Frodo, he had succumbed to the ice that was sure to be accumulating on his body. 

“Aragorn.” Legolas stopped his digging for a moment. They were further than waist deep by this point. “If we find the hobbit, he may not be ali-”

“- if you speak another word in the manner you are now,” Aragorn interrupted, “Your impressively lengthy life will meet its end. Frodo is alive.” 

As the two dug on in silence, he swallowed, realizing his words. “Legolas, I-”

“Estel, do not apologize. But let us find the hobbit, before this accursed ice is the end of us all,” Legolas interjected. His long hair was beginning to freeze in chunks on his back.

Legolas dug with even more conviction through the dense snow, trying to keep more snow from collapsing in on the progress he had already made. Thick flakes continued to fall all around him. His hands uncovered, finally, some auburn curls deep in the snow. 

“Ah! There he is!” Legolas exclaimed. Aragorn tried to reply, but in a rush of emotion could only emit a croaking sound. The elf finally got a firm grip around Frodo’s shoulders and pulled him out of the snow.

The hobbit’s face was coated in ice, and his extremities were turning unnaturally dark from the cold. Legolas lifted him to his face and felt breath. Unconscious, but still breathing. Frodo lived.

“Quickly. Quickly, Estel! He is like ice to the touch,” he gasped, as he put the back of his hand on Frodo’s cheek. Legolas tore part of his cloak and wrapped it around Frodo’s feet. His toes were bluish black with the onset of frostbite. Aragorn frantically unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt, preparing to warm him the only way they could.

Legolas solemnly pulled the chain around Frodo’s neck so that the ring hung against his back and would not touch the man. 

Aragorn then took Frodo from Legolas, and put him against his bare chest inside his clothing. He then wrapped his cloak further around the both of them. Aragorn could feel Frodo’s weak breath against his neck. He pressed his frigid body close to his heart, cradling his body as close as he dared. His heart swelled at the sight of him. Frodo was so, so close. He pressed their foreheads together, willing all his strength into the hobbit’s body.

Legolas watched Aragorn hold Frodo with a kind tenderness he had not seen since he had began this perilous journey. They almost made a picture of mother and child. It made him feel strange, as if he should look away. 

Then the imperativeness of the situation hit him. “Aragorn. We must keep moving. This blizzard… it is unnatural. I believe it has been caused by force of great evil. The longer we tarry the more likely is it that we all freeze.” Aragorn nodded, and they began the climb back to the others.

Aragorn took special care not to jostle Frodo too much, and Legolas had to give him a hand on the slippery rock because he had only one extra hand to support himself. 

“Is he still unconscious?” Legolas peered over at the hobbit against Aragorn’s chest. 

“Yes.” Aragorn looked concerned. “His hands and feet seem to be thawing, however.” 

Not a moment later, he felt feeble movement from the little body he cradled.

“Everything is alright, Frodo. You took a little tumble. How do you feel?” Aragorn leaned back against the cliff face, eager to hear Frodo speak.

A weak voice uttered, “Strider?”

“Yes Frodo, it’s Strider. And Legolas is here with us. We’re taking you back to the others.” Aragorn’s thumb brushed over Frodo’s cheek as he spoke. 

Frodo reached his hand up to touch his face. “Strider.. My eyes. I can’t open them.” His numb hand pawed at his eyes, and Aragorn carefully moved it away to get a closer look. Frodo’s eyelashes had frozen together. 

“Hold still a moment,” Aragorn muttered, and brought his face down close to Frodo’s. The man gently pressed his mouth to each of the lids, melting the ice with his lips. Frodo shivered a bit involuntarily, and then blinked up at Aragorn. 

The hobbit opened his mouth as if to speak, but then thought the better of it. 

“Let us continue,” Legolas called, his elf eyes looking to the distance, “I can nearly see the others!”

And so they continued, with Legolas leading the way and the other two close behind, pushing their way through the thick flurries. 

Frodo was regaining consciousness and sensation in his body slowly but surely. He felt his face flush as his situation dawned on him, how close he was to the heir of the throne of Gondor. How close he was to his friend, Aragorn. The hobbit was surprised at himself, at how much he enjoyed having the thundering heart of man in his ear. 

Frodo impulsively brought his hand up and splayed it against tanned skin, moving it against the grain of the hair there. He felt so utterly comforted. His mind was muddled from the burning cold that still lingered all over his body, but it was free from fear.

Aragorn felt Frodo move about underneath his cloak. He spoke to Frodo without uncovering his face. “Are you alright in there?” He paused a moment whilst stepping around a particularly large boulder. “Do you need anything?” 

“Oh Strider,” Frodo said pitifully, breathing against his skin, “hold me for a little longer yet, the road is so long but I feel very safe here in your arms.”

Aragorn nodded solemnly. “As you wish, Master Frodo.”

**Author's Note:**

> this is my very first fic so please let me know what you think!!
> 
> also I've never actually been in or seen snow besides in movies so I'm sorry if my descriptions were inaccurate!
> 
> thank you so much for reading. <3


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